Grip sensor

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present invention provide robust capacitive grip sensors that may be used in a variety of applications, including single-handed and double-handed grips, such as but not limited to barbells. Apparatus as disclosed herein and efficiently measure the presence of a human grip without requiring deformation of a gripped surface area.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.62/895,759, filed Sep. 4, 2019, the entire contents of which areincorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to sensors, specifically, capacitive gripsensors and systems.

BACKGROUND

Grip sensors are useful in a variety of applications. Some grip sensorshave a variety of shortcomings. Among these shortcomings are a) theplacement of exposed wires along the circumference of the grip; b) therequirement that the surface of the grip deform in order to register anevent; c) the requirement for specific hand placement in order toregister a grip, and/or detection of pressure applied to specificportions of the grip; and d) in many instances, the sensor element issufficiently delicate that the choice of topcoats and the application ofthese topcoats is limited out of concern that the sensor element will becompromised during assembly. A need exists for an apparatus whichovercomes these shortcomings.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention provide robust capacitive gripsensors that may be used in a variety of applications, such as but notlimited to barbell and dumbbell spotting apparatus. Apparatus asdisclosed herein and efficiently measure the presence of a human gripwithout requiring deformation of a gripped surface area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that those having ordinary skill in the art will have a betterunderstanding of how to make and use the disclosed systems and methods,reference is made to the accompanying figures wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a device including a grip sensorin accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 1 taken alongline A-A′ in accordance with one or more embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a device including a grip sensor withconductors shown in phantom in accordance with one or more embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of detail A of FIG. 2 with conductorsshown in phantom in accordance with one or more embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 3 is front view of a processor hub in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a device including two grip sensors withconductors shown in phantom in accordance with one or more embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a substrate with a first non-conductivelayer in accordance with one or more embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 4 taken alongline B-B′ in accordance with one or more embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a substrate with a first non-conductivelayer and channels formed therein in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 5 taken alongline C-C′ in accordance with one or more embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a substrate with a first non-conductivelayer and channels formed therein and conductive material in thechannels in accordance with one or more embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 6 taken alongline D-D′ in accordance with one or more embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a substrate with a first non-conductivelayer and channels formed therein, conductive material in the channelsand a second non-conductive layer in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 7 taken alongline E-E′ in accordance with one or more embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a device in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a device having a discontinuous secondnon-conductive layer in accordance with one or more embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which illustrativeembodiments of the invention are shown. In the drawings, the relativesizes of regions or features may be exaggerated for clarity. Thisinvention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and shouldnot be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather,these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thoroughand complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to thoseskilled in the art.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being“coupled” or “connected” to another element, it can be directly coupledor connected to the other element or intervening elements may also bepresent. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directlycoupled” or “directly connected” to another element, there are nointervening elements present. Like numbers refer to like elementsthroughout. As used herein the term “and/or” includes any and allcombinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

In addition, spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”,“lower”, “over”, “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will beunderstood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompassdifferent orientations of the device in use or operation in addition tothe orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device inthe figures is inverted, elements described as “under” or “beneath”other elements or features would then be oriented “over” the otherelements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “under” can encompassboth an orientation of over and under. The device may be otherwiseoriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatiallyrelative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail forbrevity and/or clarity.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will befurther understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art andwill not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unlessexpressly so defined herein.

With reference to FIGS. 1-3, an exemplary apparatus 2 includes asubstrate 10, a grip sensor 15 and a processor hub 50. As shown, thesubstrate 10 is a bar such as but not limited to a dumbbell bar. Inembodiments in which the substrate is an electrically conductivematerial, such as a metal barbell bar, the grip sensor 15 includes afirst electrically non-conductive layer 20 positioned on the substrate10, a plurality of strands of electrically conductive material 30embedded in the first electrically non-conductive layer 20, a secondelectrically non-conductive layer 40 positioned over the strands ofelectrically conductive material 30, and a processor hub 50 operablycoupled to the strands of electrically conductive material 30. Thestrands of electrically conductive material 30 are oriented along thelong axis of the substrate 10 and each strand is coupled to a processor52 positioned on the processor hub 50.

The substrate 10 may be any material typically used as a handle or gripfor a device. The substrate 10 may be elongated. It will be apparentthat the cross-section of the substrate 10 is not limited to a circularcross-section, as shown, but may have any suitable cross-section. Thefirst and second electrically non-conductive layers 20 and 40 may be thesame or different material. In one or more embodiments the firstelectrically non-conductive layer 20 and/or the second electricallynon-conductive layer 40 are a ceramic material such as but not limitedto a ceramic coating commercially available from Cerakote® of WhiteCity, Oreg. For example, Cerakote® H-900 Electrical Barrier ceramiccoating is a suitable material. The thickness of the first electricallynon-conductive layer 20 may be from 0.5-3 mm. In one embodiment thethickness of the first electrically non-conductive layer 20 is 2 mm. Thethickness of the second electrically non-conductive layer 40 may be from0.5-3 mm. In one embodiment the thickness of the second electricallynon-conductive layer 40 is 2 mm.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art when the substrate 10 isan electrically non-conductive material, such as wood, non-conductiveplastic, ceramic rubber, etc., a first electrically non-conductive layermay not be required. In such cases the grip sensor 15 may include, aplurality of strands of conductive material 30 embedded in, or laidupon, the substrate 10, a non-conductive layer 40 positioned over thestrands of conductive material 30, and a processor hub 50 operablycoupled to the strands of conductive material 30. The grip sensor 15 mayoptionally include a first non-conductive layer 20.

The second non-conductive layer 40 may be patterned and may include aknurled or roughened surface to facilitate grip. As shown in FIG. 1, thesecond non-conductive layer 40 may be continuous, with no disruptions,about the plurality of strands of conductive material 30. Alternatively,as shown in FIG. 10, the second non-conductive layer 40 may bediscontinuous, defining open cells 70, exposing portions of theplurality of strands of conductive material 30. The secondnon-conductive layer 40 may be applied in various manners to define theopen cells 70, e.g., applied as a mesh or lattice. Alternatively, thesecond non-conductive layer 40 may be applied continuously withsubsequent removal of portions thereof to define the open cells 70,e.g., by milling or etching. The open cells 7 may be regularly formed inshape and/or regularly spaced about the substrate 10. For example, theopen cells 70 may be circular or polygonal and spaced evenly to providea honeycomb appearance.

The conductive material 30 is any suitable electrically conductivematerial such as but not limited to copper, silver, gold, aluminum etc.There may be any number of strands of electrically conductive material30. The thickness of each strand 30 may be any suitable thickness, suchas, for example, from 18 gauge to 23 gauge (AWG). In one embodiment thethickness is 18 gauge. Each strand of electrically conductive material30 is coupled to a processor 52, positioned on the processor hub 50,configured to detect capacitance in the respective strand ofelectrically conductive material 30 and compare against a predeterminedthreshold to determine an above or below state of capacitance,representable in binary output. Suitable processors include but are notlimited to capacitive sensor processors available commercially from ISEControls of Indianapolis, Ind. The processors 52 are coupled to andpowered by any suitable power source including but not limited tobattery, house current, etc. The power source may be coupled to theprocessor hub 50 via conduit 60 or may be integrated in the processorhub 52. Each of the processors 52 supplies binary output (ON or OFF) foreach of the strands of conductive material 30 being monitored. The levelof capacitance sensed in each strand of electrically conductive material30 may be used to determine the binary output, e.g., a level ofcapacitance above a predetermined threshold may represent an ON state,with a level of capacitance below the predetermined thresholdrepresenting the OFF state, or the reverse may be utilized (OFF is abovethe threshold, ON is below). Any type of circuit allowing for binaryoutput may be utilized, including any suitable logic circuit. The outputof each strand 30 is separate and independent from all other strands. Inone or more embodiments a host-side processor receives via conduit 60separate and distinct channels of output (ON or OFF) from each of theprocessors 52. For example, in a sensor with five strands (strands A-E)30, strands A-E each can signal ON or OFF. The host-side processorinterprets the output and makes its own determination how to handle thedata based on logic programmed in the host-side processor. It will beapparent to those skilled in the art the host-side processor can beprogrammed in any number of ways to process the output from theprocessors 52. For example, and not by way of limitation, the fivesensors may be assigned to variables L1, L2, L3, L4, L5 and providesignals as follows:

At T0 (no human interaction):

L1 off L2 off L3 off L4 off L5 off

At T1.0 (palm of hand placed on the device)

L1 on L2 on L3 off L4 off L5 off

At T2 (left hand fingers curl around the circumference of the device)

L1 on L2 on L3 on L4 on L5 on

At T3 (the user lifts fingertips from the device but maintains a grip)

L1 on L2 on L3 on L4 off L5 off

A host processor can process the signals to determine the presenceand/or adequacy of a grip on the bar. For example, once variables L1-L5signal ON, the host processor can signal equipment associated with thehost processor to operate or not operate. The host processor may beprogrammed to signal equipment based on a lesser or greater number of ONsignals, depending on the application. For example, the host processormay be programmed to determine an adequate grip exists based on theconditions at T3. The greater the number of electrically conductivestrands and associated processors, the more sensitive the grip sensor.

The embodiment in FIGS. 1-3 is suitable for any device requiring gripsensing of a single hand.

Now referring to FIG. 4, in another embodiment a device 2 is designed todetect a two-handed grip. Each strand of electrically conductivematerial 30 a is coupled to a processor 52 positioned on the processorhub 50 a, and each strand of electrically conductive material 30 b iscoupled to a processor 52 positioned on the processor hub 50 b. The hostprocessor may process signals received from processor hubs 50 a, 50 b.

For example a single device may be outfitted with grip sensors asdescribed so that it has 10 strands of conductive material (5 on eachside). Each of these is connected to its own processor 52. The processorwill output either ON or OFF (binary). There are numerous examples ofdevices that could employ a grip sensor as disclosed herein, includingbut not limited to handlebars of a vehicle such as a motorcycle, asteering wheel, controls for industrial machinery, etc.

The 5 sensors on the left may be assigned to variables L1, L2, L3, L4,L5; the 5 sensors on the right may be assigned to variables R1, R2, R3,R4, R5.

At T0 (no human interaction):

L1 off R1 off L2 off R2 off L3 off R3 off L4 off R4 off L5 off R5 off

At T1.0 (palm of left hand placed on the device)

L1 on R1 off L2 on R2 off L3 off R3 off L4 off R4 off L5 off R5 off

At T1.1 (palm of right hand placed on the device)

L1 on R1 on L2 on R2 on L3 off R3 off L4 off R4 off L5 off R5 off

At T2 (left hand fingers curl around the circumference of the device)

L1 on R1 on L2 on R2 on L3 on R3 off L4 on R4 off L5 on R5 off

At T2.1 (both left and right hand fingers curl around the circumferenceof the device)

L1 on R1 on L2 on R2 on L3 on R3 on L4 on R4 on L5 on R5 on

At T3 (the user lifts fingertips from the device but maintains a grip)

L1 on R1 on L2 on R2 on L3 on R3 on L4 off R4 off L5 off R5 off

Now referring to FIGS. 5-9, an exemplary method for forming a gripsensor is provided. The disclosed method is described in the context ofa grip sensor for a single hand grip, but the same principles apply to atwo-handed grip sensor. In this example the substrate 10 is a metal barwith a circular cross-section having a diameter of 1 inch. Withreference to FIGS. 4 and 4A, the bar is coated with Cerakote® ceramiccoating. The thickness of this application is 2 millimeters. Thebenefits of using a ceramic are many. For example, ceramic is 1) isnon-conductive, 2) cheaply and readily available, 3) efficientlyapplied, 4) easily etched, and 5) extremely durable (IP69K) yet able toendure deflection without cracking.

With reference to FIGS. 6 and 6A, the method involves etching into theceramic coating 20 a plurality of channels 25, such as five channels 25,running lengthwise along the circumference of the metal bar 10. Thechannels 25 are equally spaced and are 1 millimeter in depth and 1millimeter in width. It will be apparent to those skilled in the artthese channels need not be precisely equally spaced and the depth andwidth of the channels 25 may be varied.

Now referring to FIGS. 7 and 7A, into each of the channels 25 is placedan uninsulated electrically conductive material 30, such as but notlimited to a bare strand of solid copper. It will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art the conductive material 30 may be deposited using anyof the well-known methods available to the skilled artisan. For example,in accordance with the teachings of James B. D′Andrea, credited withbeing the founder of the field of hybrid microelectronics, conductivematerial may be etched into or otherwise formed in ceramic with the sameefficacy as soldered wiring but at a fraction of the cost, withincreased accuracy, and in a tiny footprint. The conductive material maybe patterned on the non-conductive layer directly without forming achannel.

Now referring to FIGS. 8 and 8A, the second non-conductive layer 40,such as Cerakote®, is applied over the conductive material 30. Like thefirst non-conductive layer, the second non-conductive layer 40 ispreferably uniformly applied. This coating is 2 millimeters in theexample. The total incremental thickness added to the metal bar is 4millimeters or 0.15 inches (total of 0.3 inches to the circumference).

Now referring to FIG. 9, the processor hub 50 is coupled to the metalbar so that each of the five copper strands are connected to a separateprocessor 52.

Although the apparatus and methods of the present disclosure have beendescribed with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, the presentdisclosure is not limited thereby. Indeed, the exemplary embodiments areimplementations of the disclosed systems and methods are provided forillustrative and non-limitative purposes. Changes, modifications,enhancements and/or refinements to the disclosed systems and methods maybe made without departing from the spirit or scope of the presentdisclosure. Accordingly, such changes, modifications, enhancementsand/or refinements are encompassed within the scope of the presentinvention.

1.-2. (canceled)
 3. A grip sensor as in claim 11, wherein the pluralityof first processors is included in a processor hub.
 4. A grip sensor asin claim 3, wherein the processor hub includes a battery.
 5. A gripsensor as in claim 3, wherein the processor hub is electrically coupledto a source of power. 6.-10. (canceled)
 11. A grip sensor useable on anelongated substrate having first and second ends, the grip sensorcomprising: an inner electrically non-conductive layer disposed on thesubstrate; a plurality of first strands of electrically conductivematerial disposed, so as to be spaced apart, on the inner electricallynon-conductive layer adjacent to the first end of the substrate; aplurality of second strands of electrically conductive materialdisposed, so as to be spaced apart, on the inner electricallynon-conductive layer adjacent to the second end of the substrate; anouter electrically non-conductive layer disposed on the innerelectrically non-conductive layer with the plurality of first strands ofelectrically conductive material and the plurality of second strands ofelectrically conductive material being located between the innerelectrically non-conductive layer and the outer electricallynon-conductive layer; a plurality of first processors, each associatedwith one of the first strands of electrically conductive material, theplurality of first processors each configured to detect capacitance inthe respective first strand of electrically conductive material andcompare the detected capacitance against a predetermined threshold todetermine an above or below state of capacitance, representable inbinary output; and, a plurality of second processors, each associatedwith one of the second strands of electrically conductive material, theplurality of second processors each configured to detect capacitance inthe respective second strand of electrically conductive material andcompare the detected capacitance against a predetermined threshold todetermine an above or below state of capacitance, representable inbinary output.
 12. A grip sensor as in claim 11, wherein the innerelectrically non-conductive layer is formed of ceramic material.
 13. Agrip sensor as in claim 12, wherein the outer electricallynon-conductive layer is formed of ceramic material.
 14. A grip sensor asin claim 11, wherein the outer electrically non-conductive layer iscontinuous.
 15. A grip sensor as in claim 11, wherein the outerelectrically non-conductive layer is discontinuous with a plurality ofopen cells being defined therein. 16.-21. (canceled)
 22. A grip sensoras in claim 11, wherein the substrate is a barbell bar.
 23. A gripsensor as in claim 11, wherein the inner electrically non-conductivelayer is discontinuous having a first portion adjacent to the first endof the substrate, upon which the plurality of first strands ofelectrically conductive material is disposed, and a second portionadjacent to the second end of the substrate, upon which the plurality ofsecond strands of electrically conductive material is disposed.
 24. Agrip sensor as in claim 23, wherein the outer electricallynon-conductive layer is discontinuous having a first portion disposed onthe first portion of the inner electrically non-conductive layer, and asecond portion disposed on the second portion of the inner electricallynon-conductive layer.
 25. A grip sensor as in claim 11, wherein thefirst strands are spaced circumferentially about the substrate.
 26. Agrip sensor as in claim 25, wherein the first strands are spaced equallyabout the substrate.
 27. A grip sensor as in claim 25, wherein the firststrands are generally parallel.
 28. A grip sensor as in claim 11,wherein the binary output of the plurality of first processors isconfigured to represent the presence or absence of contact with a handof a user.
 29. A grip sensor as in claim 11, wherein the thickness ofthe inner electrically non-conductive layer is in the range of 0.5-3.0mm.
 30. A grip sensor as in claim 11, wherein the thickness of the outerelectrically non-conductive layer is in the range of 0.5-3.0 mm.
 31. Abarbell bar comprising: an elongated substrate having first and secondends; an inner electrically non-conductive layer disposed on thesubstrate; a plurality of first strands of electrically conductivematerial disposed, so as to be spaced apart, on the inner electricallynon-conductive layer adjacent to the first end of the substrate; aplurality of second strands of electrically conductive materialdisposed, so as to be spaced apart, on the inner electricallynon-conductive layer adjacent to the second end of the substrate; anouter electrically non-conductive layer disposed on the innerelectrically non-conductive layer with the plurality of first strands ofelectrically conductive material and the plurality of second strands ofelectrically conductive material being located between the innerelectrically non-conductive layer and the outer electricallynon-conductive layer; a plurality of first processors, each associatedwith one of the first strands of electrically conductive material, theplurality of first processors each configured to detect capacitance inthe respective first strand of electrically conductive material andcompare the detected capacitance against a predetermined threshold todetermine an above or below state of capacitance, representable inbinary output; and, a plurality of second processors, each associatedwith one of the second strands of electrically conductive material, theplurality of second processors each configured to detect capacitance inthe respective second strand of electrically conductive material andcompare the detected capacitance against a predetermined threshold todetermine an above or below state of capacitance, representable inbinary output.
 32. A barbell bar as in claim 31, wherein the pluralityof first processors is included in a processor hub.
 33. A barbell bar asin claim 32, wherein the processor hub includes a battery.
 34. A barbellbar as in claim 32, wherein the processor hub is electrically coupled toa source of power.
 35. A barbell bar as in claim 31, wherein the innerelectrically non-conductive layer is formed of ceramic material.
 36. Abarbell bar as in claim 35, wherein the outer electricallynon-conductive layer is formed of ceramic material.
 37. A barbell bar asin claim 31, wherein the outer electrically non-conductive layer iscontinuous.
 38. A barbell bar as in claim 31, wherein the outerelectrically non-conductive layer is discontinuous with a plurality ofopen cells being defined therein.
 39. A barbell bar as in claim 31,wherein the inner electrically non-conductive layer is discontinuoushaving a first portion adjacent to the first end of the substrate, uponwhich the plurality of first strands of electrically conductive materialis disposed, and a second portion adjacent to the second end of thesubstrate, upon which the plurality of second strands of electricallyconductive material is disposed.
 40. A barbell bar as in claim 39,wherein the outer electrically non-conductive layer is discontinuoushaving a first portion disposed on the first portion of the innerelectrically non-conductive layer, and a second portion disposed on thesecond portion of the inner electrically non-conductive layer.
 41. Abarbell bar as in claim 31, wherein the first strands are spacedcircumferentially about the substrate.
 42. A barbell bar as in claim 41,wherein the first strands are generally parallel.
 43. A barbell bar asin claim 31, wherein the binary output of the plurality of firstprocessors is configured to represent the presence or absence of contactwith a hand of a user.